KAP: Only winners in four-year terms will be politicians

This weekend you will be asked to vote on the future of your rights in Queensland by considering the possibility of fixed four-year terms.

This proposal is to change Queensland's constitutional law so the government will have another year in power.

Before you decide, we encourage you to consider the detrimental impact this move will have on the rights of you as a citizen to influence the very government made to serve you.

To put it simply, longer parliamentary terms will water down our democratic standards and reduce the accountability of the parliament to you, its electors.

Apart from the election, Queenslanders have no form of checks and balances over their government in order to hold politicians to account.

Even with three-year terms in place we have seen two previous governments treat the people of Queensland with contempt.

Consider what the cost would be if similar governments were given an extra year to exert their power.

As voters we expect the government to perform and make effective decisions, this will not happen by giving elected officials more breathing space with little accountability to the public in the meantime.

The risk of unaccountable authoritarian government should far outweigh the convenience of fewer elections.

In essence this referendum works to serve and assist only one group of people - politicians.

Voting 'YES' plays into the hands of the major parties, securing the jobs of politicians and bureaucrats, not the people of Queensland.

The truth is by supporting four-year terms, you will not be "Bringing Queensland into line with other states".

Queensland is the only State without an upper house of parliament as a check on the actions of government between elections.

Other States with four-year terms have an upper house as a safeguard for the people.

Queensland would instead stand bare with no upper house, diminished democracy and little public accountability.

As it stands the Queensland government is far from the perfect system, however handing politicians another year of power is a backwards step.

Real security comes from a government working to do what is best for its people - a good government should not fear going to an election.